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    North Korea Retaliates with Trash-Filled Balloons in Response to South Korean Propaganda Leaflets

    World News 3 Mins Read

    North Korea has initiated a campaign of sending balloons loaded with garbage toward South Korea since Tuesday night, as reported by the South Korean military leadership. This act of provocation is reportedly a direct response to South Korean activists who have been dispersing anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

    The South Korean military has identified approximately 260 balloons filled with manure and other waste materials landing across various regions of the country. The authorities have issued warnings to the public to avoid contact with these objects and to report any findings to the military or police for safe handling.

    The move by North Korea is said to be part of a planned effort to distribute “mounds of wastepaper and filth” throughout South Korea, particularly along border areas. Kim Kang Il, North Korea’s Vice Defense Minister, characterized the act as a reciprocal measure to the leaflet campaigns conducted by South Koreans.

    Further escalating the rhetoric, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, expressed her views on state media, criticizing a South Korean military demand to cease the “inhumane and vulgar activity.” She defended the balloon drops as an exercise of North Korea’s freedom of expression, mirroring the language used by South Korea regarding the leaflet activities. Kim Yo Jong warned of an intensified response to any future provocations, stating that North Korea would retaliate with tenfold the amount of waste.

    Photographs disseminated by the South Korean military depict the extent of the trash distribution, showing litter strewn across highways and other areas. In Seoul, military officials discovered a device likely intended to burst the bags and release their contents from the air. In the central region of South Chungcheong province, observers spotted two large balloons with unburst bags filled with dirt-like substances. No immediate damage from these incidents has been reported, unlike in 2016 when similar actions resulted in damage to vehicles and property.

    This latest development occurs amidst heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently emphasized the importance of advancing space-based reconnaissance capabilities following a failed satellite launch. The rocket explosion was attributed to issues with a newly developed engine, complicating North Korea’s military ambitions.

    The ongoing conflict is marked by an increased frequency of North Korean weapons tests and joint military exercises between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, signaling a significant deterioration in inter-Korean relations.

    Major Points

    • North Korea has launched a campaign of sending balloons filled with garbage into South Korea as retaliation against South Korean activists’ anti-North propaganda leaflets.
    • Approximately 260 balloons containing manure and rubbish have been reported across South Korea, with authorities advising the public to avoid touching them and to report sightings.
    • The initiative is described by North Korean officials as a reciprocal measure to the South’s leaflet campaigns, with plans to intensify responses to future provocations.
    • Photographs show trash scattered in several locations, including roads and highways, with some devices intended to release the waste mid-air discovered in Seoul.
    • The escalation in balloon activity coincides with heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following a failed North Korean satellite launch and ongoing regional military exercises involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

    RM Tomi – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News

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